Excessive foaming is an issue in flotation process in the mining industry as it can negatively affect the efficiency of the mining process. Foam control agents are often highly viscous fluids that require dilution in organic solvents to achieve lower viscosities suitable for the use in the flotation process. The organic solvent might also contribute to the efficacy and foam control performance of the solution.
Currently, highly flammable volatile organic solvents are used to dilute high molecular weight polypropylene glycol in foam control solutions. A foam control solution for flotation processes in mining that has improved handling, safety, and environmental profile, with similar performance, when compared to flammable organic based foam control solutions that are currently used, would be desirable.